Anti-drip device



June 25, 1968 R R HOFFMAN 3,389,822

ANTI-DRIP DEVICE Filed June 22, 1966 INVENTOR ovamn R. H ofirmn ATTORNEY I United States Patent O 3,389,822 ANTI-DRIP DEVICE Raveran R. Hoifman, Portland, N. Dalr. 58274 Filed June 22, 1966, Ser. No. 559,552 1 Claim. (Cl. 21513) ABSTRACT OF THE DESCLOSURE The invention is an anti-drip device comprising a narrow annular plastic ring for a vacuum bottle having a rounded mouth, said ring raving an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the mouth, said rings inner diameter being greater than half of the outer diameter of the rings, said annular plastic ring being flexed downward into an annular frustoconical flange, with the inner edges of the ring acting to engage the mouth of the bottle and prevent it from slipping off while in its frustoconical shape, said annular ring projecting downward from the mouth and acting to prevent any drops of fluid from running down the sides of the bottle past the mouth of the bottle.

This invention relates to receptacles more particularly, the invention relates to vacuum cooled bottles and the like.

It is an object of this invention to provide a vacuum cooled bottle with a novel anti-drip ring around the mouth of the bottle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel anti-drip ring which is detachable so that it can be readily cleaned from time to time.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel anti-drip ring which can be attached to a conventional vacuum bottle to prevent the fluid from dripping down the sides of the bottle after pouring from the bottle.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the anti-drip invention attached to a conventional vacuum cooled bottle with a cut away showing of the screw cap of ti e bottle.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the anti-drip ring invention prior to installation.

FIGURE 3 is a top elevational view of the anti-drip ring invention prior to installation.

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the vacuum cooled bottle and showing the manner of attachment of the drip ring invention to the bottle.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the anti-drip ring invention shown attached to the vacuum bottle.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view of the vacuum cooled bottle with fluid being poured from the bottle, with the anti-drip ring invention shown attached to the bottle.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises an annular plastic ring being detachably mounted over the mouth of a conventional vacuum cooled bottle, with the ring being flexed downward to form a frustoconical annular flange to prevent fluid from dripping down the sides of the vacuum cooled bottle.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in FIG- URE 1, antitlrip annular plastic ring is shown operaatively attached to a conventional vacuum cooled bottle 21. The vacuum cooled bottle 21 has a mouth 22 with a cork 23 plugged into the mouth of the bottle to seal the bottle. A conventional cover 24 is threaded over the top of the bottle to secure the cork in place.

The annular plastic ring 24 has an outer diameter 25 which is smaller than the inner diameter 26 of the cover 24 so that cover may not interfere with the ring.

3,389,822 Patented June 25, 1968 The ring 29 has an inner diameter 27 which is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the sides 28 of the mouth 22 of the bottle 21, so as to frictionally fit snuggly onto the mouth 22, when placing the ring in its operative position.

The plastic ring 20 is attached to the mouth 22 in the manner iilustrated in FIGURE 4. The plastic ring 20 is first centered over the top of the mouth of the bottle as iliustrated in position 29 and is slid downward to position 30, by hand. The ring 20 is then flexed downward to its operative position 31, which forms the ring in an annular frustoconical shape. The flexing of the ring downward acts to reduce the inner diameter of the ring and thereby tighten the ring 26 to the sides 28 of the mouth of the vacuum bottle, so that it will not slip off while in its frustoconical shape.

The plastic ring 20 is removed by the operator engaging the underside of the outer edge 32 of the plastic ring and flipping tl e ring back to its position 36, in which position the ring will slide more freely off the mouth of the bottle.

After pouring fluid with reasonable care from the bottle as illustrated in FIGURE 6, when the bottle is swung back up to its upright position, a few drops of the fluid wi'.l still normally run down the sides 28 of the mouth of the bottle. These drops will catch on the plastic ring 26 and will stop, and will not continue to run down the sides of the bottie and eventually these drops will evaporate.

Also, the plastic ring 26 may be easily removed in the manner already described and cleaned so that any matter which may accumulate on the ring may be washed off the ring.

It will be obvious that various chan es and departures may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and accordingly it is not intended that the invention be limited to that specifically described in the specification or illustrated in the drawing but only as set forth in the appended claims wherein:

What is claimed is:

1. A narrow detachable annular plastic ring, a vacuum bottie with a smooth round mouth portion and a smooth rounded neck portion gradually enlarged outward and downward with respect to said mouth portion to form cylindrical sides for said neck portion of greater outer diameter than the outer diameter of the annular plastic ring, said annular plastic ring having its inner radius slightly smaller than the outer radius of the mouth portion of said bottle, said plastic ring having its inner radius at least equal to th ee-fourths of the outer radius of the ring, said annular ring being mounted on said mouth portion and abutting the upper edge of said neck portion, said ring having its outer edges flexed downward into a straight annular frustoconical shape with the inner edges of the ring engaging the mouth portion and preventing it from slipping off the mouth portion while in its frustoconical shape, said annular ring projecting outward and downward from said mouth portion with its outer edges projecting outwardly away and free from said mouth and neck portion and acting to prevent any drops of fluid from running down the sides of the bottle past the mouth of the bottle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,601,573 6/1952 Venis 21513 2,684,793 7/1954 Warrick 2l5100.5 X 3,177,344 4/1965 Morey 215100.5 X

DONALD F. NORTON, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner. 

